LIGHTNING LARRY

• 2013-04-17

  Enjoy! :)

• 2013-02-26

  

• 2013-02-15

  

  Behind the scenes — Animation!

• 2013-02-13

  

  Image created for promotional poster.

  6 WEEKS TO GO!!!

• 2013-01-22

  

  Working hard.

• 2013-01-10

  

  MOVIE POSTER!

• 2012-12-14

  

  Hyun textured the bike!

• 2012-12-11

  

  Main character model updates!!

• 2012-12-04

  Compositing Breakdown

  LL Compositing Breakdown from Dan Solomon on Vimeo.

• 2012-12-02

  Our first render/comp tests!

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  Rendering & Compositing

  After a scene is lit, it is ready to render. We will mainly be using V-Ray for Maya as our rendering engine.

  When rendering, it is important to decide on the render passes that will be needed for compositing. Rendering in separate passes will allow for more control over the look of the shot after the render has completed, which could take many hours per shot depending on the complexity and length.

   

  The final render passes can then be layered on top of each other using various tools in order to achieve a close to final look.

   

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  Texturing, Shading & Lighting

  Every single model in our thesis animation will need to be textured. In order to be textured, a model must first be UV mapped. This is the process where a 3D model is unwrapped into a 2D representation. An artist can then paint the texture onto the UV map, creating a UV texture map. The UV texture map is then, essentially, wrapped back around the 3D model as a part of the shader. 

  A shader determines how the rendered surface of an object will look. This includes factors such as color, specularity, and reflectivity among other variables.

   

  

  Once objects in a scene are textured and shaded, the scene can be lit using lights within the 3D software. This is a creative process that draws many parallels to real world lighting situations. 

   

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  Experiments with Dynamic Simulations

  Using dynamic simulations such as the test I’ve done below, we may be able to save ourselves the pain of animating debris, one piece at a time.

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  Rigging!

  Rigging is an essential step in the 3D animation pipeline. At this stage, the models we have need to be bounded to a system of joints, like a skeleton. The rigger then adds controls to these joints, making it possible for the animator to move the character around as he wishes. 

  For our main character, Larry, we have our friend and fellow classmate Tom Szenher rigging for us, while Akira and I continue to work on other tasks at hand.

   

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  Models and Sets

  As previz progressed, Akira continued to model, working on Larry and his bike. He also took on the task of starting to build out 3D “sets” based on shots in the previz.